Ken Lonnquist Songbook
A Cold For Sale
A Hundred Eleventy One
A Little Dreamin’'
A Night Of Miracles
A Patchwork World
A Place At the Fire
A Very Special Day
Abigail
Achoo!
Afro
After The Snow
All Aboard!
Alligator Rag, The
Always There
Amelia (The Queen Ballerina)
Animals In the Big Woods
Any Old Thing
Anyone Could Be The One
Appearances
Apple Pickin'’ Time
Awaken!
A Cold For Sale (TCK)
Written with students at Franklin School, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
I've got a cold and it's for sale
It will make you sick and pale
I've got a cold that you can buy
Because I'm such a generous guy
I'm so stuffed I can't inhale
And that is why my cold's for sale
I've got a cold, with runny nose
And a red, raw throat that hacks and blows
If lousy's how you want to feel
For just five bucks my cold's a steal!
Im so stuffed I cant inhale
And that is why my colds for sale
I've got a cold... it's guaranteed!
It comes with everything you need:
Coughing, sniffles, red nose, drool...
It's the perfect excuse for missing school!
I've got a cold. Attention, shoppers!
This will be a one-time offer!
I'll throw in kleenex free for you
Everytime that you ah-choo!
So step right up and pay your money
In no time your nose will be runny
I'm having a clearance sale today
So buy my cold and take it away!
I'm so stuffed I cant inhale
A Hundred Eleventy One (SFHF)
When I am an old man and losing my hair
I'll polish my bald spot, so when people stare
They'll all end up blind from the bright shiny glare
Oh, it's gonna be fun
When I'm the oldest thing under the sun
Over a hundred-eleventy-one
When I am an old man and losing my teeth
I'll poke my tongue out through the holes underneath
And frighten the children that live down the street
When I am an old man and losing my mind
I'll laugh and I'll talk to myself all the time
I may make no sense, but I'll certainly rhyme
A Little Dreamin (LSK)
(from my musical version of Alice In Wonderland)
I never thought that I could ever be
Living in a daydream
I never had a dream come true for meoh,
Oh, my doubts were strong
Now theyre gone, gone, gone!
I never thought the world could seem to me
A place so filled with wonder
I never thought that I could feel so free
Oh, my chains were strong
A little dream a little dreamin' goes a long, long way!
I never thought that I could feel so much
And not know what Im feeling
So afraid of being out of touch
Oh, my fears were strong
And if you'd like to toss your cares away:
A little dreamin' goes a long, long way!
A Night Of Miracles (OB)
Glory to the World! Let your hearts be full!
Cause tonight's a night
Tonight's a night of miracles!
Singing in the sky's the only way to fly
When the news is this good!
Flap your little wings, lift your voice and sing!
Heaven knows that you should!
A Patchwork World (W)
With needles shaped from splintered swords
Of history's forgotten wars
We'll stitch a world... a patchwork world
And friends, the thread we use will be
Spun from the hearts of you and me
We'll stitch a world together from the pieces
We'll mend the tears and smooth away the creases
With colors deep and rich and fair
From every people everywhere
And in the beauty of it's seams
We'll gather strength to shape our dreams
With a swatch of golden sun
And blue where sparkling rivers run
A colored tapestry that gives
A space for everything that lives
A Place At the Fire (ES)
Written for the Book-Tape A Place At the Fire
Too many times were too suspicious
Too many times we think the worst
Weve got to learn about each other
So let these be the first
The first to see us all together
And hear the songs we sing
So they will know there is a place at the fire
For every living thing
Little bugs sit with the fishes
Fishes sit beside the fox
Foxes sit beside the bobcat
The mice with snakes and hawks
So let them see us all together
Let them see us all together
And the gifts that each one brings
Yes, they will know there is a place at the fire
A Very Special Day (LSK)
from my musical version of Alice In Wonderland
It's a very special day! All my cares have blown away!
And all I can think to say is: It's my un-birthday!
Would you like to come to tea?
You can celebrate with me!
'Cause youre mad if you can't see:
this is my un-birthday!
Whose birthday is it today?
Not mine! Not mine! Not mine!
Then why do you keep singing
happy birthday all the time?
'Cause its a very special day!
All my cares have blown away!
It's mad, but it does make sense to me
to celebrate life more...
Instead of just one day each year,
three hundred sixty four!
Who cares?! Who cares?! Who cares?!
It makes no difference anyway!
It's a day beyond compare!
'Cause it's a very special day!
And all I can think to say is It's my un-birthday!
Abigail (W2K)
If you're talkin' about a girl who's almost eight
Always tryin' to go to bed just a little bit late
With a twinkle in her eye and a low lip pout
Well, if that's the girl you mean,
then there ain't no doubt:
You're talkin' about Abigail! Abigail!
It's spelled A-B-I-G-A-I-L and that's Abigail!
If you're talkin' about a girl whose hair's light brown
Always wears her T-shirt tags the wrong way around
Ridin' on her bike or roller skates
Or readin' to her brother till the hour is late:
And when her Mommy's sick, Abby plays the nurse
Mommy gets well quick, cause Abby's smile's a burst
Of the sun above and a sky of blue
And there's nothin' love like that can't do
Ooh! Oohoohoohooh!
If you're talkin' about a girl who scabs her knees
'Cause she's always in the backyard climbin' trees
With a house upon a hill and two hungry pets
'Cause she's supposed to feed 'em
but she always forgets:
Achoo! (SFHF)
Written with students from Beattie Elementary, Ft. Collins, CO
There was dust in the air. A kid breathed it in.
She sniffled and sniffled and sniffled and then
"Achoo!" she exploded right into the air
"Gezundheit!" said all of the other kids there
Achoo---she blew right through---it flew
Out her nose---there it goes! Now you: Achoo!
Her sneeze didn't stop. No, it didn't stop there.
Her powerul blast scattered dust in the air
And the kids all around started breathing it in,
Sniffling till sneezes erupted again.
"Gezundheit!" the Principal said to them all
As sneezes went echoing down through the hall.
It only got worse when the Cook served this bunch
Loose-lidded shakers of pepper for lunch
Chorus
Their eyes were all red. Their noses were runny.
Some of the older kids thought it was funny.
"It's not!" said the sneezers, all sniffling again
As the bell rang and recess began to begin.
Sneezing increased from the weeds and the grass
"Achoos!" broke the windows and shattered the glass
Kicking up pollen and feathers and flowers
Allergies had them "achooing" for hours
These terrible sneezes spread all over town
Till finally together, they made such a sound---
Sneezing at once in a great thunderclap---
The town simply blew itself off of the map!
Afro (SFHF)
Written with 6th Grade students from Werner Elementary,
Ft. Collins, CO
One afternoon I snuck a look
At my dad's high school yearbook
I barely recognized him there
Under that pile of hair
His was high as hair can be
Some follicle shock therapy
Gave him the look you'd often see
Back in the Seventies
Dad had an afro. He had an afro
When he went walkin' down the street
Every single dog he'd meet
Lifted up it's leg, 'cause he
Looked like a walkin' tree
He had to drive with his top down
So his 'fro could blow around
Passing under low tree limbs
He'd duck or get a trim!
The fashion world was cruel to teens
Back in the 1970's
Silk Shirts and wide bell bottom jeans
Back in the disco scene
After The Snow (SR)
After the snowflakes fall
When all the world is glistening
Deep in a dream that lasts until the spring
That's how I feel with you
Old loves lie deep beneath the snow
Yours are the only footprints memory knows
It doesn't matter to me
Let the rest be forgotten
Watching the snowflakes fall
'Cause ever since you found me
A love so deep surrounds me
Nothing else matters at all
Tinted tracks lead away
Lavender shadows in the wood
Leading at last where love is understood
Dreaming before a fire
Flickering faces, dying flames
When the wind whispers, all I hear's your name
All Aboard (W2K)
I'm leaving, I'm leavingI hope you'll come along!
I'm leaving, I'm leavingit's "All Aboard" this song!
My guitar is the engine... each voice a car behind...
So "click-clack" down the railroad track
Upon this song of mine!
Sing a little lower, like the engine roar
Of a choo choo choo!
Give a little moan, give a little groan, going woo woo!
And let me hear the "click-clack"
Rolling down the train track,
Clickety-clack! Clickety-clack! Blow your stack!
Sing it in the middle, sing it so that it'll
Be a chug chug chug!
Give a little whine, almost like you're crying,
Going glug glug!
Sing it up high, like a whistle in the sky
Going woo woo!
Blowing like a train top, whistle till you can't stop
Woo woo!
The Alligator Rag (LSK)
Dont get caught with your pants down
when theres an alligator around
Dont get caught with your pants down w
hen theres a willd alligator in town
Cause them alligators got a big bite
and theyll chomp on anything in sight
So dont get caught with your pants down
Dont sit down on a sofa if its made of porcupine fur
Dont sit down on that sofa or youll feel sorry for sure
Cause that prickly porcupine fur couch
will prick your bottom and then, ouch!
Its sad but its true: no one looks out for you
So if the crocodiles are comin down the aisles
You gotta skidooo!
Dont sit down in the outhouse
when the wind-chills sixty below
even though youre dyin to go
Cause when you drop your trousers
and spread your feet
Your bottom might freeze to the toilet seat
when the windchills sixty below
So if you think it snowed around the old commode
when theres a willd alligator in town
When theres a wild alligator,
a wild alligator, a wild alligator around
Always There (A)
The Sun is always there. The Sun is always there.
Cloudy skies or fair, the Sun is always there
In a changing sky, clouds swirling in-between
Silvery raindrops fly. Though it may shine unseen
You know
Shimmering somewhere, the Sun is always there
As the stars catch fire, flickering lantern-bright
A fading moon retires into the dark of night
Like an answered prayer, the Sun is always there
Where is the sun when the skies are gray? ALWAYS THERE!
When we hear lightning and thunder play? ALWAYS THERE!
Where is the sun in the dancing rain?
ALWAYS THERE!
When shadows shiver across the plain?
ALWAYS THERE
Where is the sun in the darkest night?
With neither moon nor a star for light?
Golden light to share, the Sun is always there
Amelia, The Queen Ballerina (SFHF)
For my niece, Amy... the enfant terrible of the ballet!
Amelia the Queen Ballerina
Never before has there been a
Girl in tiny tutu tights
Acting as if---day and night---
The whole world's her dancing arena
Her spangles outsparkle Selena
A tiara in her hair
She's a diva beyond compare
Enough ruffly stuff for a Queen-a
Waltzing past her TV screen-a
Now her puppy's throwing fits
As she jumps and pirouettes
He can't see the ads for Purina
Never has there ever been a ballerina
In a tutu who could do to rooms what tornadoes do
When she spins through, ka-blew!
She'll carrom and crash and careena-a
Through the kitchen she'll pliet
Off the cookpots ricochet
With the wild abandon of Xena
Someday in New York, you'll have seen her
Billing on the Broadway stage:"
Dancing Wonder of the Age:
Amelia the Queen Ballerina"
Animals In the Big Woods (ES)
Written with 2nd & 3rd Graders at Nerstrand Elementary, Nerstrand, Minn.
In... the... big... woods... In the... big woods...
In the big woods, in the big woods
There are animals! Lots of animals!
Many animals in the woods...
Bears... Tree Frogs... Snakes... Owls...
They live near us in the woods
They're part of our neighborhood
Just like little boys and girls
They're a special part of our world
Chipmunks... Hawks... Skunks... Wolves...
Loons... Racoons... Wild Turkeys... Coyotes...
Any Old Thing (H)
Rats: Every wish that we've been wishin'...
big or small---they've all come true!
Cats are cowed into submission---
we can do any old thing we wanna do!
Every morsel in the kitchen's
ours to nibble, bite or chew
Anytime our belly's itchin'---
With friends at the top,
life can be dandy at the bottom
This is the best stop
since our train left Gommorah and Sodom!
It's a boom-town for us Vermin!
Everywhere we look, the view
Just assures what we've determined---
Twitchin' whiskers as we scurry
through a rodent's dream come true
Bein furry with no worries---
Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah:
you know it's true!
Anyone Could Be The One (OB)
Anyone could be the one to make a better world!
How am I to know which child,
which little boy or girl could be the one?
This child may have the power!
This child may have the heart!
This child may have the goodness!
This child could make a start!
Little boy or girl... Are you the one?
Appearances (J)
From my musical, Beauty & The Beast
Appearances can be deceiving
Looks can tell an outright lie
So before you start believing
See with something more than just your eyes
Love can show you something
Something that your eyes cant see
Trust your heart to show you
Things you never dreamed could be
Can you see a childs wonder
Or the pain of loneliness?
Can you see the sound of thunder
Or the comfort of a soft caress?
Of the senses weve been given
Visions what I value least
It shows the surfaces we live in
But not the beauty hidden in the beast
Apple Pickin Time (SR)
Apple pickin' time... red, green and yellow
Apple pickin' time... call Farmer John
Apple pickin' time... load up the flat bed
Apple pickin' time for a song
Pickin' apples in the fall
Like kids we scramble off the truck
The engine sputters to a stop
And we start off to try our luck
Running up and down the hills
In the trees or on the ground
Farmer John says, "Take your fill! Take your fill!"
Picking apples in the fall
Once we've gathered up a mess
We toss our bundles worms and all
Into a sticky cider press
Grind that handle round and round
Squeezing juice into a jar
Dry fruit crumbles to the ground, to the ground
Sun goes down, our eyelids, too
Legs and arms and shoulders tired
From a hard day's apple brew
Jugs of juice slosh back and forth
As the old truck rumbles home
We toast the good trees of the North, of the North
Awaken! (A)
Awa-ken! Awa-a-a-aken! It's time to rise & shine,
get the conga line sha-a-a-kin!
got to get the dawn brea-a-a-kin!
Mu-si-cians! Let the drummers drum, now!
Toot your flutes as str-ummers, strum!
Musicians! Singing out as one, now: a-wa-ken!
Dancers, come! Let your bodies go, now!
Swirl! Sway as the rhythms flow!
Dancers, come! Shimmy head to toe, now!
A-wa-ken!
¡Despierte! ¡Des-pie-e-e-erte! ¡Cantan y bailan
hasta que el dia amane-e-ece!
¡Despierte! ¡Des-pie-e-e-erte! ¡Toca la conga,
dale una golpa muy fue-e-erte!
An-I-mals! Lizard, frog & toad, now
Wood-pecker, and mos-qui-to!
Animals! Singin high and low now: a-wa-ken!
Py-ra-mids! Echoing our song, now
Rise up and sing along!
Py-ra-mids! Strike the temple gong, now:
a-wa-ken!
Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! A-wa-ken!
